Philip "Spike" Edney (born 11 December 1951) is an English musician who, since the 1960s, has performed with a number of bands, most notably with
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
in their live concerts, where his participation started in 1984 during
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
's
The Works tour
The Works Tour was the tenth headlining concert tour by the British rock band Queen (band), Queen to promote their successful 1984 album ''The Works (Queen album), The Works''. During the tour, Queen participated in the Rock in Rio festival in 1 ...
. During the mid-1970s, he recorded and toured with
The Tymes and
Ben E. King
Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later i ...
. He is primarily known for playing keyboards but also plays bass, guitar, trombone and contributes backing vocals. Subsequently, in the late 1970s, he was musical director for
Edwin Starr
Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. Starr was famous for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number-one ...
and, during the early 1980s, worked with
Duran Duran
Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band wen ...
,
The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats are an Irish rock band originally formed in Dublin in 1975. Between 1977 and 1985, they had a series of Irish and UK hits including "Like Clockwork", " Rat Trap", "I Don't Like Mondays" and "Banana Republic". The original li ...
,
Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners (currently officially Dexys, their former nickname, styled without an apostrophe) are an English pop rock band from Birmingham, with soul influences, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid-1980s. They a ...
,
Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz were a British pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and compr ...
,
Haircut One Hundred
Haircut One Hundred (also Haircut 100) were a British new wave group formed in 1980 in Beckenham, London by Nick Heyward, Les Nemes and Graham Jones. In 1981 and 1982, the band scored four UK top 10 hit singles: " Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets ...
and
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
. He also appeared with
Peter Green on his comeback tour.
Edney's collaboration with Queen included mostly
keyboards (his main instrument), plus rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Accompanying the band on its tours since 1984, replacing
Fred Mandel
Frederick Lawrence Mandel (born 1953) is a Canadian session musician, keyboard player and guitarist.
Career
Born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Mandel became involved in music from an early age. He started playing the piano at four and picked up t ...
. He was also part of
Roger Taylor's side project
The Cross as well as
Brian May's band when they toured in 1993 and 1998.
Edney can be seen on Queen's ''
Live at Wembley Stadium'' and ''
Hungarian Rhapsody
The Hungarian Rhapsodies, S.244, R.106 (french: Rhapsodies hongroises, german: Ungarische Rhapsodien, hu, Magyar rapszódiák), is a set of 19 piano pieces based on Hungarian folk themes, composed by Franz Liszt during 1846–1853, and late ...
'' concert films, playing rhythm guitar on "
Hammer to Fall," and piano on both "
Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "
Tutti Frutti." He can also be seen playing in the background during Queen's 1985 Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium.
SAS Band

Edney formed SAS Band (Spike's All Stars) in 1994, playing their first gig at
The Gosport Festival (near Edney's hometown of
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
). The original band featured
Cozy Powell
Cozy Powell (born Colin Trevor Flooks; 29 December 1947 – 5 April 1998) was an English rock drummer who made his name with major rock bands and artists such as The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Gary Moore, Robert Plant, ...
on drums,
Neil Murray on bass and
Jamie Moses
Jamie Moses (born 30 August 1955) is an English rock and pop singer and guitarist. He was formerly a member of The Brian May Band, Queen + Paul Rodgers, Mike & the Mechanics and Broken English.
Biography
The son of an American father (a mem ...
on guitar. The band has constantly fluctuating personnel, including musicians from Queen,
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
,
Free,
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone and ...
,
Toto
Toto may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Pets
* Toto (Oz), Toto (''Oz''), a dog in the novel and film ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''
* Toto, in Japanese ''The Cat Returns#Plot, The Cat Returns''
Characters of agency
* a ...
, and
Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...
, and solo artists including
Fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...
,
Roy Wood
Roy Wood (born 8 November 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the Move, Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a ...
,
Leo Sayer
Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer (born 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter whose singing career has spanned five decades. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009.
Sayer launched his career in the United Kingdom ...
,
Kiki Dee
Pauline Matthews (born 6 March 1947), better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English singer. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown's Tamla Records.
Dee is best known for he ...
, and
Paul Young
Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...
. Others that have appeared with the band include
Suggs,
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...
,
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof (; born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter, and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as lead singer of the Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, who achieved popularity as part of ...
and
Toyah Willcox
Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...
.
Other roles with Queen

After the death of
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in th ...
(who was
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
's main pianist), Edney took over Mercury's role on piano during
Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
2005, 2006, and 2008 tours, playing all piano parts on a
Korg Triton
The Korg Triton is a music workstation synthesizer, featuring digital sampling and sequencing, released in 1999. It uses Korg's HI Synthesis tone generator and was eventually available in several model variants with numerous upgrade options. The ...
keyboard,
in addition to all other keyboard parts. He returned as keyboardist for the
Queen + Adam Lambert tours in 2012, 2014, and the 2015–2020 tour schedule. He has also been the keyboardist for the London production of ''
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at numb ...
'' since it opened in 2002.
Edney was also the musical director of the official Queen tribute band, the
Queen Extravaganza.
Equipment
During tours with Queen in the mid 1980s, Edney played a Gibson Les Paul Junior as his main guitar for the rhythm parts of "
Hammer to Fall".
During the Queen + Paul Rogers tours he used a Korg Triton before settling on a Korg M3 for Queen + Adam Lambert tours.
Selected discography
Albums
* Queen: ''
A Kind of Magic'' (1986)
* Queen: ''
Live Magic
''Live Magic'' is the second live album by British rock band Queen. It was recorded at various live shows during ''The Magic Tour'' and was released on 1 December 1986. However, it was not released in the United States until August 1996. It ...
'' (1986)
*
The Cross: ''
Shove It'' (1987)
*
The Cross: ''
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know'' (1990)
* The Cross: ''
Blue Rock'' (1991)
*
Lucio Battisti
Lucio Battisti (5 March 1943 – 9 September 1998) was an influential Italian singer-songwriter and composer. He is widely recognized for songs that defined the late 1960s and 1970s era of Italian songwriting.
Battisti released 18 studio albums ...
: ''
Cosa succederà alla ragazza
''Cosa succederà alla ragazza'' (''What will happen to the girl'') is an album by the Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti. It was released in October 1992 by Columbia Records.
The album was Italy's 57th best selling album in 1992.
Trac ...
'' (1992)
* Queen: ''
Live at Wembley '86'' (1992)
* The
Brian May
Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury an ...
Band: ''
Live at the Brixton Academy'' (1994)
* SAS Band: ''SAS Band'' (1997)
* Brian May: ''
Another World'' (1998; keyboards on "
Slow Down")
* SAS Band: ''The Show'' (2001)
*
Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
: ''
Return of the Champions'' (CD/DVD, 2005)
* Queen + Paul Rodgers: ''
Live in Ukraine'' (CD/DVD, 2009)
*Queen:
Hungarian Rhapsody
The Hungarian Rhapsodies, S.244, R.106 (french: Rhapsodies hongroises, german: Ungarische Rhapsodien, hu, Magyar rapszódiák), is a set of 19 piano pieces based on Hungarian folk themes, composed by Franz Liszt during 1846–1853, and late ...
(2012)
*
Queen + Adam Lambert: Live in Japan (2016)
* Queen: ''
Bohemian Rhapsody: The Original Soundtrack'' (2018)
*Queen + Adam Lambert:
Live Around The World (2020)
Videos
* Queen: ''
Live in Rio'' (VHS/DVD, 1985/2013)
*Queen:
We Are The Champions: Final Live in Japan (1992)
* Queen: ''
Live at Wembley Stadium'' (VHS/DVD, 1990/2003/2011)
* Queen: ''
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was a benefit concert held on Easter Monday, 20 April 1992, at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom for an audience of 72,000. The concert was produced for television by Ray Burdis, ...
'' (VHS/DVD, 1992/2002/2013)
* The Brian May Band: ''
Live at the Brixton Academy'' (VHS, 1994)
* ''
46664 – The Event'' (DVD, 2004)
* ''
Live Aid
Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine ...
'' (DVD, 2004)
* Queen + Paul Rodgers: ''
Return of the Champions'' (CD/DVD, 2005)
* Queen + Paul Rodgers: ''
Super Live in Japan'' (DVD, 2006)
* Queen + Paul Rodgers: ''
Live in Ukraine'' (CD/DVD, 2009)
*Queen:
Hungarian Rhapsody
The Hungarian Rhapsodies, S.244, R.106 (french: Rhapsodies hongroises, german: Ungarische Rhapsodien, hu, Magyar rapszódiák), is a set of 19 piano pieces based on Hungarian folk themes, composed by Franz Liszt during 1846–1853, and late ...
(2012)
* Queen + Adam Lambert: Live in Japan (2016)
*Queen +
Béjart: Ballet For Life (2019)
*Queen + Adam Lambert:
Live Around The World (2020)
References
External links
*
SAS Band websiteSpike Edney interviewed on RadioLIVE, New Zealand, following Sacha Baron Cohen to play Freddie Mercury announcement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edney, Spike
English rock musicians
Queen (band)
Living people
1951 births
Musicians from Portsmouth
People from Hackney Central
English rock keyboardists
English rock pianists
English rock guitarists
Queen + Adam Lambert members
Queen + Paul Rodgers members
The Cross (band) members
Peter Green Splinter Group members